2010 Good and Bad (NFC North)

Tired of the lockout? There always some interesting numbers when it comes to the NFL both trend-wise and historically. Here’s a look at the good and the bad (and an extra thought ortwo) when it came to the NFC North last season…Chicago Bears (11-5)The Good News:After a few seasons of spiraling downward, the defense rebounded in a big way. After giving up 375 points and 43 offensive touchdowns a year ago, the Bears allowed nearly 100 fewer points (286) and 15 fewer offensive TDs. Including their playoff run, Chicago limited half of its 18 opponents to 17 or fewer points, a feat they managed just 4 times in 16 games in ’09…<!--more-->QB Jay Cutler rebounded from a shaky first season in the Windy City. After throwing 27 TD passes and an NFL-high 26 interceptions in ’09, the Bears’ signal-caller threw 4 fewer touchdown passes but reduced his INTs by 10 (16)…KR Devin Hester set a new NFL record for career kick return touchdowns (14). Hester now has 10 punt returns (tying that NFL record co-owned by PR Eric Metcalf) and 4 kickoff returns for scores in just 5 seasons. In 76 regular-season games, the former Miami Hurricane has scored 27 TDs in 4 different ways (10 punts, 4 kickoffs, 1 missed FG return and 12 touchdown receptions)...The Bad News:The Bears gave up the most sacks in the league (56) and were pretty consistent in doing it, allowing 3 or more in 10 regular-season games. Chicago also gave up 3 sacks in the playoff win over the Seahawks…The Bears’ offense ranked 30th in the league in total yards but Lovie Smith’s team scored a respectable 334 points and 33 offensive touchdowns. However, Chicago totaled just 47 points in their 5 regular-season losses…Just A Thought:Lovie Smith has coached the Bears for 7 seasons (taking the team to the playoffs 3 times) and posted 66 overall wins, third in franchise history to “Papa Bear” George Halas (324) and Mike Ditka (112)…With their 11 victories, the Bears have extended their NFL record for regular-season wins to 704…Green Bay Packers (10-6)The Good News: Including playoffs, QB Aaron Rodgers was incredible following a so-so statistical start as injuries forced him to become a bigger focal point of the offense. After throwing at least 1 interception in 6 of his first 7 games, the eventual Super Bowl MVP threw only 4 interceptions in his final 12 games, including 0 INTs in 9 of those contests…After enjoying a solid career inOakland, CB Charles Woodson has statically been even better in Green Bay. In his 5 seasons with the Packers, the 7-time Pro Bowler has totaled 30 interceptions, returning 8 for scores, as well as 8.0 sacks. In 8 years with the Raiders, the former Heisman Trophy winner picked off 17 passes, returning 2 for scores, and totaled 5.5 sacks.The Bad News:Dom Capers’ defense had its issues against the run, despite the presence of emerging NT B.J. Raji. After leading the league in rushing defense in ’09, allowing just 83.3 yards per game, the Packers slipped to 18th in this department (114.9)…It was hit or miss for Mike McCarthy’s team in terms of coming up with opponent miscues and it seemed to dictate the club’s fortunes.Including their 4-game playoff sweep, the Packers totaled 38 takeaways in their 14 victories, but forced only 5 turnovers in their 6 losses….Just A Thought:The Packers were the third team in the last 6 years (’05 Steelers, ’07 Giants) to win 3 road playoff games and went on to win the Super Bowl. Prior to 2005, the only team to win 3 road playoff games in the same postseason was the 1985 Patriots, who lost Super Bowl XX to the Bears. The Pack’s victory also gave the franchise its 13th NFL championship, extending their own league record…Since realignment in ’02, Green Bay owns a 36-18 regular-season record vs. divisional foes, the best mark in the NFC…Detroit Lions (6-10)The Good News:After giving up the most yards and the most points in the NFL in the league for 3 consecutive seasons, a “feat” not managed in the NFL in more than 50 years, the Lions were 21st in total yards allowed and a respectable 19th in points given up…While Detroit averaged just 100.8 yards per game rushing, a closer look shows that the Lions ran for 134.7 YPG in their final 6 contests, compared to just 80.5 YPG in their first 10 games…The return game got a big boost from KR Stefan Logan, who finished 5th in the league in both punt return and kickoffreturn average…The Bad News:Former first-overall pick QB Matthew Stafford lasted only 3 contests in his second season, meaning he has missed more games (19) than he has started in his brief two-year career…Despite their strong finish, the Lions still posted their 10th consecutive losing season, lost double-digit games for the 9th time in 10 years and haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, tied with the Bills for the longest current drought in the league…Just A Thought:The Lions won their final 4 games in 2010 (the team’s longest winning streak since 1999, their last playoff season). Before that, Detroit was an abysmal 5-47 in their previous 52 games dating back to the second half of 2007. During that final 4 weeks, the franchise put an end to a pair of dubious NFL records by ending a 19-game skid to divisional rivals in a 7-3 win over the Packers (Week 14) and then halted a 26-game road losing streak with a 23-20 OT win at Tampa (Week 15)…Minnesota Vikings (6-10)The Good News:RB Adrian Peterson put an end to a sore subject (at least for one season) by fumbling just once in 15 games. The perennial Pro Bowler had totaled 20 fumbles in his first 3 seasons (46 games) and also fumbled twice in the ’09 NFC Championship Game at New Orleans…DE Jared Allen and the Minnesota pass rush rebounded from a forgettable start, this after leading the NFL with 48 sacks in ’09. Vikings’ defenders totaled 25 sacks (10 by Allen) in their final 9 games, after getting to opposing quarterbacks just 6 times (1 by Allen) in their first 7 contests. Allen has now totaled 40.0 sacks in 48 games with Minnesota since joining the team in ’08….The Bad News:One year after enjoying one of the most efficient seasons of his long career, it was a long (and ironically, short year) for QB Brett Favre, who committed 24 turnovers in his 13 appearances, this after giving up the ball just 9 times in 16 regular-season contests in ’09. Conversely, the team more than doubled its turnover total (37) from the previous year (18)…The Vikings’ defense has been one of the toughest in the league against the run in recent seasons but there was a bit of slip. Minnesota defenders gave up 120 or more yards rushing in 5 games, not a terrible performance unless you consider that in the previous 4 seasons (including playoffs) the Vikings had allowed 120-plus yards on the ground in just 9-of-67 contests…Just A Thought:Minnesota and Cincinnati were the two teams that took the biggest tumble in the NFL in terms of wins from ’09 to 2010. The teams were minus-6 in terms of victories from the previous season…Due to the collapse of the Metrodome roof, as well as snow issues in Philadelphia in December, the Vikings played 10 games on Sunday afternoon, 1 on Sunday night, 3 on Monday night, 1 on Tuesday night and 1 on Thursday night...

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